Publications

The Leaflet – Is it Sunrise or Sunset for Solar Power?

Published February 28, 2014

By Alex Monahan

Publication -

The Leaflet -
Is it Sunrise or Sunset for Solar Power? During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama singled out solar power as the flagship source of renewable energy, a source currently responsible for only 0.
- Environment & Energy
Research & Commentary: The Limitations of Solar Power

Published February 26, 2014

By Taylor Smith

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
For more than a century, mankind has sought ways to convert the sun’s heat and light into electricity. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, enough energy from the sun hits Earth every hour to power the planet for an entire year.
Research & Commentary: Regulating and Taxing E-Cigarettes in Washington

Published February 25, 2014

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Over the past five years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have emerged as a popular alternative for smokers looking to quit or substantially reduce their cigarette use.
Research & Commentary: Should Maryland Increase Its Minimum Wage?

Published February 25, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley in January released a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour by 2016 and index it to inflation in perpetuity.
Research & Commentary: Should Kentucky Increase Its Minimum Wage?

Published February 25, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Kentucky legislators are now considering a bill, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, that would increase the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 over a three-year period.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Medicaid Expansion and Healthy PA

Published February 24, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Pennsylvania has yet to approve an expansion of Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), but in September 2013 Gov.
- Education
Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Education On House Bill 2621 to repeal and replace Common Core

Published February 19, 2014

By Joy Pullmann

Publication -

Testimony -
Testimony to the Kansas House Committee on Education On House Bill 2621 to repeal and replace Common Core February 19, 2014 Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony.
- Climate Change
- Environment & Energy
Testimony of James Taylor – Kansas House Standing Committee on Energy and Environment

Published February 13, 2014

By James Taylor

Publication -

Testimony -
Senior Fellow James Taylor's written testimony submitted on February 13, 2014 to the Kansas House Energy & Environment committee on a resolution to oppose the Presiden't Climate Action Plan.
Research & Commentary: Illinois Corporate Income Tax Reform

Published February 13, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Illinois’ combined federal and state corporate income tax rate is 41.2 percent, fourth-highest in the United States and the industrialized world. After a 47 percent increase to the base rate in 2011, Illinois’ state corporate income tax rate of 9.
A Better Medicare for Seniors and Taxpayers

Published February 12, 2014

By Peter Ferrara

Publication -

Policy Briefs -
Of all the entitlement programs in the U.S. requiring reform, Medicare – the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older – presents the most difficult problem of all.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Examining the Arkansas Medicaid Expansion Model

Published February 11, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
In several of the states that have chosen not to expand their Medicaid programs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), lawmakers are offering proposals to expand Medicaid under new schemes designed to improve the flawed
Research & Commentary: Iowa Minimum Wage Reform

Published February 6, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and House Minority Leader Mark Smith have said members of their caucuses will introduce proposals this session to raise the state’s legal minimum wage.
The Leaflet – Wireless Taxes for Water Skiing

Published February 6, 2014

By Alex Monahan

Publication -

The Leaflet -
Wireless Taxes for Water Skiing For years state wireless and cell phone taxes have grown steadily without raising any significant alarm. This is surprising given that wireless taxes in many states are up to three times higher than the state sales tax.
Research & Commentary: Should Illinois Move to a Progressive Tax System?

Published February 5, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Just a few years ago Illinois’ tax competitiveness compared well to its neighbors and other states. The Tax Foundation’s State Business Climate Index ranks states based on more than 100 variables, ranging from income taxes to property taxes.
Research & Commentary: Connecticut Pension Reform

Published February 5, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
According to the most recent available data (2011), Connecticut’s pension system is the second-most underfunded in the United States, trailing only Illinois, which passed minor reforms in late 2013.
Research & Commentary: West Virginia Wireless Taxes for Tourism

Published February 5, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
In January, West Virginia state Sen. H. Truman Chafin proposed a $10 million increase in the tax on wireless services to increase funding for the West Virginia Division of Tourism.
- Environment & Energy
Research & Commentary: Net Metering

Published February 3, 2014

By Taylor Smith

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
In 43 states and the District of Columbia, utility customers who purchase their own generation source (also called distributed generation, most often a rooftop solar panel) can sell any excess electricity they produce to a utility for resale to other
The Leaflet – Obama Urges Governments To Raise Minimum Wage

Published January 31, 2014

Publication -

The Leaflet -
v:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} o:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} w:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);} .
- Environment & Energy
Testimony of James Taylor – Washington State Senate Energy, Environment & Telecommunications Committee

Published January 30, 2014

By James Taylor

Publication -

Testimony -
Heartland Senior Fellow for Environment Policy James Taylor testifies before the Washington Senate Energy, Environment, and Telecommunication committee during a January 2014 work session to discuss solar power.
- Climate Change
- Environment & Energy
The Other Side of the Global Warming Story

Published January 29, 2014

By Jay Lehr (1938 – 2023)

Publication -

Testimony -
Dr. Jay Lehr, science director of The Heartland Institute and one of the authors of the Clean Air and Clean Water acts, delivered the testimony below to the Washington State Senate in January, 2014.
- Environment & Energy
Research & Commentary: Pennsylvania Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard

Published January 22, 2014

By Taylor Smith

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Pennsylvania state Rep. Tommy Sankey has introduced a proposal that would repeal the state’s alternative energy portfolio standard (AEPS), which mandates utilities obtain a specified percentage of their power from renewable sources by a certain date.
Research & Commentary: Michigan Income Tax Reform

Published January 22, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
Michigan is facing a budget surplus, and as a result several legislative leaders are now considering lowering the personal income tax. According to the Senate Fiscal Agency, this surplus totals around $1.
- Health Care
Research & Commentary: Wyoming Medicaid Expansion

Published January 15, 2014

By Matthew Glans

Publication -

Research and Commentaries -
After voting in 2013 not to expand Medicaid, the Wyoming Legislature is now considering three possible alternatives to simple Medicaid expansion in Wyoming.
- Environment & Energy
Tip Sheet: Hydraulic Fracturing

Published January 13, 2014

By Taylor Smith

Publication -

Policy Tip Sheets -
ProblemHydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a decades-old well stimulation technique that recently has been combined with horizontal drilling and computer-assisted underground monitoring to make extracting from vast reserves of oil and natural gas more

Publications

Heartland Newsletters